Insecurity, import reliance push Nigeria toward food crisis – Experts

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Agriculture, maritime and trade experts have identified worsening insecurity, and Nigeria’s growing dependence on food imports as major factors fueling food shortag­es and soaring food prices across the country.

The stakeholders lamented that despite possessing vast ex­panses of fertile arable land and abundant human resources, Nige­ria continues to grapple with food insecurity and heavy reliance on imported food products, reports Daily Independent.

They urged federal and state governments to intensify efforts to secure farmlands and forests, arguing that improved security would enable farmers to return to their fields and significantly boost food production.

According to them, the coun­try’s dependence on food imports has further compounded the problem, especially as the naira continues to weaken against major foreign currencies used in international trade.

The experts maintained that Nigeria should be positioning it­self as a major food exporter rath­er than a food-importing nation, given its agricultural potential.

A maritime expert, Ismail Aniemu, expressed concern that Nigeria, despite its enormous natural and human resources, is still being classified among poor nations.

“Nigeria is not poor in the true sense of the word,” he said. “We have gold, crude oil, fish resources, fertile agricul­tural land and a large popu­lation capable of harnessing these opportunities. The real challenge is insecurity, which prevents us from maximizing these advantages.”

Aniemu described the con­tinued importation of food, par­ticularly fish, as an economic contradiction.

“We cannot continue to treat zero-duty food importation as a long-term economic policy. It can only serve as a temporary intervention. A country bless­ed with vast fertile land should not depend on imported food,” he said.

He argued that addressing insecurity remains the key to solving Nigeria’s food crisis.

“When communities are se­cure and farmers can cultivate their lands without fear of kid­napping, attacks or ransom de­mands, food production will rise dramatically. The agricultural output from states like Benue, Plateau and Nasarawa alone can feed a significant portion of the country,” he stated.

Aniemu further noted that several parts of the Niger Delta also possess enormous agricul­tural potential, producing cas­sava, plantain and other staple crops in large quantities.

“What farmers need is assur­ance that they can safely access their farms and return home unharmed,” he added.

Also speaking, interna­tional freight forwarder, Ane­fi Mohammed, warned that continued dependence on food imports could have devastating long-term consequences for the economy.

“If Nigeria puts its house in order, there will be enough food for everyone,” he said.

According to him, import­ing food while paying in dol­lars places additional pressure on the naira and weakens the economy.

“How long can we continue importing food when our cur­rency is under pressure and payments are made in foreign exchange?” Mohammed que­ried.

Another stakeholder argued that Nigeria should be focusing on exporting agricultural prod­ucts rather than importing them.

He cited Ghana’s success in exporting packaged yam and maintaining a strong presence in the global cocoa market de­spite having fewer agricultural resources than Nigeria.

“The whole of Ghana cannot produce the volume of yam that Benue State alone can grow, yet Ghana exports yam while Nigeria struggles to do so. The difference is that they have cre­ated an enabling environment for agricultural production and export,” he said.

The stakeholder emphasised that calls for zero-duty food im­ports should only be viewed as short-term measures and not permanent solutions.

“In reality, Nigeria has no business importing food. We should be exporting rice, yam, cassava and many other prod­ucts. Countries such as Thai­land, India and even the United States should not see Nigeria as a dumping ground for rice when we have the capacity to produce enough for local consumption and export,” he argued.

He also recalled incidents in which farmers, including rice growers in northern commu­nities, were reportedly killed by armed groups while working on their farms.

“The inability to secure farming communities remains one of the biggest obstacles to food security in Nigeria,” he said.

Another agricultural stake­holder, Chief Osita Chukwudin­ma, stressed that food security and national security are insep­arable.

According to him, Nigeria possesses vast agricultural re­sources that remain underuti­lized because of insecurity.

“If we can defeat insecurity in our forests and farmlands, food production will increase significantly. Our land is fer­tile and capable of supporting large-scale agriculture, but many farmers cannot access their farms because of bandit activities,” he said.

Chukwudinma cited Niger State as an example, noting that the state possesses enormous agricultural land capable of transforming the country’s food production capacity.

“Niger State alone has vast stretches of fertile land, yet much of it remains underuti­lized because of insecurity. In some areas, bandits reportedly move freely in large numbers. Under such conditions, farming becomes extremely difficult,” he said.

The stakeholders unani­mously agreed that tackling in­security, reducing dependence on food imports and investing in local agricultural production remain critical steps towards addressing Nigeria’s food cri­sis, stabilizing food prices and achieving sustainable food se­curity.